RICHMOND, Calif., Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Chevron said it set up a help center for those affected by the fire at its Richmond, Calif., refinery and filed an incident report with county officials.
Chevron said a fire broke out at a unit of its Richmond refinery. The fire forced a partial shutdown of the refinery and the company said an investigation is under way to determine the cause of the accident.
"Five minor injuries were reported by employees, three of them associated with the incident," the company said in a statement. "These employees received first aid at the refinery and returned to work on the same shift."
Chevron, along with county health officials, said air monitoring revealed pollution levels were within federal safety standards.
The company said a help center opened Friday to assist those residents who want to start a claims process to seek compensation for medical and property expenses that came as a result of the fire.
The company warned residents to be wary of fraud tied to the claims process.
The Richmond refinery makes transportation fuels and the incident caused regional gasoline prices to spike. AAA reports California motorists could expect to pay $3.98 for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline Friday on average, up 29 cents compared with last month.
